HENDERSONVILLE — Immaculata School is planning to build a playground on the school grounds that will be named in honor of former student Malachi Siltzer.
Eight-year-old Malachi Siltzer passed away in 2016 from a brain tumor, but his teachers and fellow students at Immaculata School in Hendersonville smile at the memory of the rambunctious little guy bursting through the classroom door every morning with a huge grin, breathlessly proclaiming, “I’m here!”
None of the challenges Malachi experienced in his short life ever threatened his joy or his faith.
Barely a year after he was born in Ethiopia, his mother died, and he was adopted by Jay and Kelly Siltzer in Asheville. Just a few short years later, Kelly Siltzer lost her three-year battle with leukemia, and Malachi himself was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Through it all, Malachi’s love for life and God, and his plan to become a priest, never wavered. His gap-toothed smile and lilting laughter brightened everyone’s heart. At his memorial service, a 14-year-old boy who befriended Malachi shared a lunchtime conversation that affected him profoundly. Malachi suddenly looked up from his sandwich with a big smile and announced, “I am excited that I will see my mommy soon!”
Malachi’s family and friends want his memory to continue to inspire people forever.
Go online to www.tmcfunding.com/search/campaign/2237?layout=single to learn more about the playground equipment campaign and about Malachi. For details, contact Immaculata School at 828-693-3277.
— Julie Wojcik
HENDERSONVILLE — McCarthyism, the Lusitania, Executive Order #9066 and Diane Nash – what do all these have in common? They are all topics related to the 2018 National History Day theme: “Conflicts & Compromises in History.”
Furthermore, they are all research projects that qualified for state competition at the March 17 Western North Carolina regional event held at Western Carolina University and completed by students under the guidance of National History Day Teacher Ambassador Yvonne Krowka at Immaculata School.
Patrick Jones, a freshman at Hendersonville High School, took first place in Senior Division Individual Performance; seventh-graders Emma Sevier, Emma Slebonick and Johanna Montano won third place in Junior Division Group Website; seventh-graders Blakely Morgan and Noah Pavao won second place in Junior Division Group Documentary; and eighth-grader Jane Maddock won first place in Junior Division Individual Website.
These students are among the top out of 500,000-plus students who did National History Day projects across the nation.
This challenging program guides students in analytical and critical thinking, research writing, and technological presentations preparing them for advanced opportunities in academics and careers.
Pictured are (from left): Jane Maddock, Blakely Morgan, Noah Pavao, Johanna Montano, Emma Slebonick and Emma Sevier. (Not pictured is Patrick Jones.)
— Photo provided by Meredith Y. Canning and Yvonne Krowka